Member of the Funny Name Club

April 29, 2008

View From Under The Bus (UPDATED)

20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
--Matthew 7:20-21 (KJV)

Finally, I’ve finished listening to all of the Moyers interview and the batty NAACP address by Barack Obama's pastor of twenty years, Jeremiah Wright. And, in addition, I rewatched that display of ego, half-truths—aka falsehoods--and mundane bad manners from Fox that first ran live yesterday morning. And, of course, I listened to the original sermons which brought the reverend's teachings under large-scale public scrutiny. Could you have put up with Wright’s posturing in the pulpit for twenty years? Confidence and peacockery can be entertaining as long as you know and are consistently reminded of where the focal point is—or, in this case, Who it is.

I heard Wright—the self-proclaimed Christian, preacher of the Word—mention the actions and methods of Jesus Christ and those of some who purport to be his followers. (I also heard him claim that abortion was a right.) But what Wright did not talk about was the purpose of Jesus Christ and of course he wouldn't. Because that’s where Liberation Theologies and mainstream Christianity part company. That's a crucial fork in the road; one leads to Damnation while the other does not. But don’t take my word for it. You decide.

I'll tell you what: I've never heard such a long line of strawmen strung together and wrapped up in the Word of God in my life--someone at another site call it a 'Lie Burrito'--but I only have enough time to address a few items.

Excuse my English (and pardon the pun) but who gives a DAMN about skin color, type of clothing and style of music when it comes to the realm of saving souls and keeping them out of Hell? Why, Wright and BLT’s “founder” James Cone do. As a matter of fact they worship these things instead of the Creator. Wright rightfully claims that Christian missionaries of Europe fell into error and sin back when they were bent on converting the natives of all lands. Not by the act and desire of leading others to Christ, but by making Christianity about something other than Him, His Sacrifice, Resurrection and the purpose thereof. The missionaries bound up Christ in themselves and their own culture. But Wright now is mired that same error while condemning the missionaries for it out of the other side of his mouth. Beams and motes indeed.

Guys like Jeremiah Wright care about self-centric totems of race, culture and vengeance more than they care about leading their flocks down the straight and narrow path. They need these totems to fill the void of self-doubt and that need is filled by navel-gazing religions like Black Liberation Theology and one of its parents, the Nation of Islam. Yes, BLT is a progeny of the NOI, Christianity and Marxism—a bastard child, to be sure. It’s an I-deology all right and Wright has sacrificed the eternal souls of those who believe his lies and are grateful for his good works. He has sacrificed these upon the altar of race and culture. (My own pastor says that God has special plans for shepherds—pastors—who mislead their flocks.)

Wright's megalomania is such that he couldn’t even bring himself to hold his peace for Obama’s sake—that’s one of problems inherent in allying oneself with narcissists—and even had the nerve to be guarded by the Fruit of Islam, Daddy’s the Nation of Islam’s security force.

The most infuriating thing about Wright is his attempt to cover himself using other black people, black Christians, by saying that attacks on him weren’t really about him but about the ‘black church.' And then he wants to fling around epithets like "Uncle Tom."

Let's be clear. Neither blackness, African, American or European origin, American nationality or American allegiance need a defense because such a defense would inherently be just as erroneously-focused as Jeremiah Wright's jeremiad. Ethnic origins aren’t things to be defended, denigrated or repudiated or sworn allegiance to--my own heritage stems from this continent and two other continents--these things simply are; these facts are existential. Nationality is special: it’s existential but can also be voluntarily retained or released. And allegiance to any entity is entirely voluntary, but no one has to prove his/her allegiance to this country as part and parcel of a repudiation of an ethnicity or heritage. Those days went out with FDR.

Here’s what I do come to defend, to stand in defense of: Christianity and Christians who are black. Jeremiah Wright defames both and speaks for neither and little obscure me will not let him use either as fig leaf. Yes, our ancestors in this country and our kinsmen across the water fought to be just as Christian as other Christians—as Christian as our brothers who are white. And many of the latter stood for us and side-by-side with us—not because of us primarily but because of the One Who is Primary. Has that particular battle been won? I say yes, though the war continues. But Wright not only continues to fight the battle, he willfully misunderstands the nature of the War and identity of the Enemy. And by doing that, he becomes the tool of the Enemy. That’s his choice, but not mine and not that of those who focus on the Redemption offered by Christ instead of getting upon the Cross themselves.

To quote myself, there is no “black church.” There is only the Church.

Democrats already have an ex KKK member in the senate, so why not diversify their racists and try to elect a man who has been a money donating member of a racist black church for 20+ years. I guess that would even things out for them.

My family and I, the seven of us, pasty white folks, sat surrounded by mostly elderly black folks last June, in St. Stephens Baptist Church of Kansas City Mo. What a fine sermon by the youth pastor, urging young people to keep themselves pure, to follow Christ with all their hearts, to dedicate their lives to His Will. Yep. A perfect sermon for every man woman and child in the church. Afterwards, we were hugged and thanked and asked to come back by every single person. We could barely get out of the church before the last hand shook ours. It was then and there that I knew if I ever came back to KC, I would be sitting in the pews of St. Stephens Church on any given Sunday.
Amen to you for a fine upbraiding on the wolves in our midst, sister!

I was actually at that church, a few (well, actually more than 20) years ago. Had a wonderful experience there, myself. I still remember the text of the sermon: God's promise to Abraham (and Sarah). I can't remember the pastor's name, but that probably doesn't matter.

Glad to hear that it's still going so strong. I was just surprised that they were still nice to me after they found out I was Lutheran ;-)

Yours is a wonderful sermon.
I look at Mr.Wright and think with
sadness, such fire if directed in
the work of saving souls, what the
Lord could do with such a messenger!
Maybe God will find in him another
Paul.

Thank you, sister. I am a 64 year old white man who remembers Martin Luther King, a real Christian. Martin did not denigrate people, or separate them into hostile groups, or curse America. He reminded us of our highest ideals and shamed us to adhere to them, to become them. When I first became conscious of him, I did not understand. I was an ignorant, narcissistic teenager living in working class Boston. But as I grew, I begun to understand him. His untimely death was my loss and our country's loss

"But Wright not only continues to fight the battle, he willfully misunderstands the nature of the War and identity of the Enemy."

I'm not really sure of the degree to which grievance-mongering narcissists like Wright believe their own sermons. On the one hand, they certainly get a charge out of Speaking Truth To Power, but there's more to it.

If they can persuade people that the nation is irredeemably evil because of X and Y and Z, the overthrow of the current order will be easier to sell.

And because they were so Sage as to see it all when the rest of us were blind, we'll be more eager--they suppose--to put them in power.